DD accepted with a selective scholarship, interested in Animal Science/pre-vet. Also accepted to NC State, Virginia Tech (honors college), UNC Chapel Hill, Furman, and Bucknell. Berry was not on the radar, but DD is interested in a small school with access to the outdoors, ability to get hands-on paid experience on campus working with large animals and veterinarians, and is looking for a nurturing, less-pressurized social and academic competitive environment for college. The significant scholarship, personal attention from the professors while on campus, and beauty of the campus all captured her interest during a recent visit.
Anyone that could shed light as a former/current student on their experience with Berry? Pros and cons you might offer?
Itās a āBerryā religious school. Does that matter ?
And with little nearbyā¦even less than Bucknell. You have an eclectic list. Few students would pick Berry over any other on your list but thatās because few have heard of it. If itās right for youā¦.
If she wants a small school, Iād pick Bucknell over Berry anytime - more academically rigorous yet nurturing, more resources per student, access to nature, yet access to a city if you wish. Not sure about hands-on experience with animals though.
If she wants a large school, VTech Honors would be awesome - more personalized classes with the Honors College but large STEM school with lots of lifestock.
Thank you all for the input - the comments are helpful! Wondering if anyone out there has first-hand experience visiting/considering Berry or a family member that attended for additional insight?
Of the schools in consideration for pre-vet and access to large animals, I am most familiar with NC Stateā¦ and Iāve only heard positive things.
As a GA resident I am familiar with Berry in general and know kids who attend, but none are in veterinary science. Berry has an absolutely gorgeous campus and can be a good fit for kids interested in a conservative and Christian environment (not overly so, but it does influence the cultureā¦ as far as I know is non-denominational Christian). It has a solid regional reputation with students looking for this experience along with good academics.
Berry is in a rural/remote part of northwest GA so that may be a negative for some kids. I think it is a beautiful area of GA and the size of Berryās campus offers many opportunities to enjoy the outdoors without even going off-campus.
ETA: If Berry was a powerhouse for veterinary science I think I would have heard about it, but maybe not. My D was considering vet science at one point and did an internship in the vet clinic at UGA so that was more on our radar. I personally know kids who did large animal vet at NC State and had a phenomenal experience so Iād give that a lot of thought unless it is just too large and not the type of place your student would thrive.
Perhaps in the Jewish community, so I do not doubt your comment. In the Atlanta (and Georgia overall) Christian community it is known. Is it known as an academic powerhouse? No. But it is known as a solid academic experience for kids looking for a conservative Christian college in GA.
I only heard a lot from my sonās friend. His brother was going. And I used to go to Rome so I saw it.
Iāve talked to co workers about it. They donāt know of it. Not sure a single one. I mean i talk to 3 or 4 people about college. Not 100. But thereās many Christian colleges like that - people havenāt heard of.
Thanks to everyone for the replies. Thumper1 above asked a good question about the financial angle. DD would like to graduate without student loan debt, especially with the possibility of grad school on the horizon - we have saved for this exciting time but funds arenāt unlimited.
NC State (we are in-state), Berry College, and UNC Chapel Hill are roughly equivalent in costs after considering the awarded scholarships, and each of those three schools would leave some dollars toward grad school.
Virginia Tech (we are out of state), even with a small merit award, is almost twice as expensive as the two above and would require some student debt coming out of undergrad.
Bucknell, even after merit award, is way out of our price range unless she wants to carry a significant load of undergrad debt.
I agree itās an eclectic list - thanks again for the thoughts on the thread.
State! And I say that as a UNC alum. She can find her people there and they have cows on campus. The vet school is renowned there. Itās the #4 vet school in the country according to USNews.
I think if she is not religious and conservative she would find Berry to be a bad fit.
If she is religious and conservative she can find like-minded folks at State, too.
I realized I hadnāt answered the other part of the question. It (Berry) got on the radar via the college guidance counselor, in response to input from DD that she wanted to include an option on her list for a small school where she could have a lot of 1:1 access to professors with natural beauty, access to rural environment, and an animal science program that had a high vet school placement rate and undergraduate hands-on exposure to large animals. I know that seems very specific, but thatās my daughter . . .
On the religion topic: she is Christian and religious, so that aspect isnāt a negative for her, but an explicitly religious school isnāt a driving force in her decision - she knows that she can find those communities as a part of her college experience wherever she goes. I think the more important decision for her is pressure-testing and figuring out her preference for large vs. small and intimate.
Then Bucknell is out.
Would the student debt after VTech be 27K or under (for all 4 years)? If so, itās still in the runningā¦ if not, itās out.
That leaves NCSU and Berry (if Berry is affordable), with NCSU being better for vet school prep and Berry more personalized, setting aside the conservative/Christian aspect at Berry (since sheād be fine with it but itās not the driving force for her decision).